Dearborn Heights police chief steps down due to conflict with city council members
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart has stepped down from his role amid conflict with city council members, Mayor Bill Bazzi announced Wednesday.
Bazzi said he accepted Hart's notice of "constructive termination," which is effective immediately. He has served as police chief since February 2022.
Hart said the resignation was due to "the continued harassment, retaliation, defunding of key positions and other unprofessional tactics my leadership and I have endured from several members of the Dearborn Heights City Council," according to a news release.
Director Kevin Swope has been appointed as the new police chief.
"I am devastated at the loss of Chief Hart," Bazzi said in a statement. "He was a respected key in the reorganization and improvement of our police operations – which resulted in many creative and innovative initiatives that helped protect our community while giving our officers opportunities for professional growth. He will be sorely missed, and I wish him the very best".
Council Chairman Mo Baydoun issued a statement following Hart's resignation:
"Hart faced a vote of no confidence from the police union today. However, he decided to resign before the vote took place. According to information from within the department, when he began reassigning job roles, it caused significant unrest among the department members. As a result, the union called for an emergency meeting to initiate the vote of no confidence. This information is accurate. Hart has expressed on multiple occasions that he does not wish to retire in Dearborn Heights. My message to Hart is that the sentiment in Dearborn Heights is mutual. I wish him the best in all his future endeavors."
This comes as the city administration and council clashed over the approval of the 2024-2025 budget. City services were on the verge of shutting down on July 1 if the council did not approve the budget by then. The board voted 5-2 at a special meeting on Friday to approve, but not before eliminating $75,000 in overtime for police officers and firefighters.
In the days before the meeting, council members and Bazzi blamed each other for the delayed approval. Bazzi accused the council of seeking confidential information, such as copies of W-2 forms, and wanting grant raises for certain people; however, the council claimed that the administration was withholding information that was needed to approve the budget.
Baydoun told CBS News Detroit after the meeting that the budget contained discrepancies, including a $2 million deficit, when it was first proposed in April.
Bazzi said the council violated the city's own charter by not approving the budget by the first Monday in June.
He said Hart's resignation "could be the first of several organizational changes he will be making within the city's leadership staff."